Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

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Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby scroggin5 » Wed 29 Mar, 2023 8:48 pm

I hurt my knee while doing the Freycinet Circuit. It's not so painful now, but will play up if I walk downhill for an extended period.

I want to go hiking this weekend, but don't want to aggravate my knee. Does anyone know any picturesque overnight walks in Tasmania that don't have too many fluctuations in elevation? A bit of downhill is fine, but unfortunately I'm looking to avoid any summit hikes.

I'd be grateful for anyone's expertise! I'm fairly new to hiking, but have hiked Bivuac Bay, Three Capes, the Freycinet Circuit as well as some of the Walls of Jerusalem, so would prefer to go somewhere new.

If anyone has some tips for knee injuries, I'd also much appreciate it! Thankyou!
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby ChrisJHC » Wed 29 Mar, 2023 11:37 pm

Hi, Scroggin,

Not sure if you use hiking poles at the moment, but I find they help greatly with reducing the impact on my knees; particularly when going down steep hills and to a lesser extent going up steep climbs.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby headwerkn » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 7:37 am

Walking poles, K-tape to support your knee and give mental confidence boost (it's a thing) and... probably not walking for a few weeks while it heals ;-)

But you're not gonna do that (I understand fully, speaking as someone who did Southern Ranges with an injured knee) so I'd be looking at a few nights on Maria Island maybe? Mostly flattish gravel road and beaches. Avoid Mt Maria/Bishop and Clerk, obviously.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby north-north-west » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 8:47 am

Find a good physio and have the leg properly evaluated. There are simple exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles that support and operate the joint - a decent physio will teach you these.

There are walks you can do on the Central Plateau that have limited rise and fall. A loop from Lake Mackenzie to Western Bluff via Yeates Track and the western cliffs, for instance. Good camping by Gun Lagoon or some of the creeks up there. Explorer Creek Track into Snake or Douglas or whatever. Lake Fergus is only a few hours in and, while the track is a little rough at times, it's almost dead flat.
Mt William has some easy flat walking although some people find it boring. There's also the Bay of Fires. An easy overnighter is into South Cape Bay - or even as far as South Cape Rivulet - from Cockle Creek; the biggest drop there is down to the beach and it isn't that far.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby johnw » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 9:12 am

scroggin5 wrote:If anyone has some tips for knee injuries, I'd also much appreciate it! Thankyou!

Don't ignore it like I did, hoping it will fix itself. Eventually it could come back and bite you.

north-north-west wrote:Find a good physio and have the leg properly evaluated. There are simple exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles that support and operate the joint - a decent physio will teach you these.

Do what NNW suggests. I injured my left knee in the mid 90s and chose to not seek any medical intervention. I was between jobs with a young family at the time, so dealing with that took priority.
It seemed to heal naturally, but by 2010 it had deteriorated so that even the easiest bushwalk become a real challenge. Ultimately had an arthroscopy that cleaned it up and I went on to run 4 marathons on it.
But the surgeon told me that I was certain to require knee replacement in 10-15 years. It had deteriorated again by 2021 and I was told the only solution is a new knee. I had to put that on the back burner just over 12 months ago when I had major surgery (unrelated to the knee). A lot of downtime recovering since, which weakened the knee further. So I started working with a physio around 8 months ago to see if we can circumvent, or at least delay, the knee replacement. Strengthening quads is the main objective in my case. I seem him every 4-6 weeks and do exercises daily, which has seen significant improvement, but I still have issues. Happy on flat-ish ground but really steep up or down is very challenging.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby Biggles » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 9:39 am

No pack walking with a knee injury. Rest.
If that is not enough of a 'No' answer, then trekking poles and a light pack, with small, measured steps, but if there is pain, the best action is no action at all. Wanting to go on overnight treks with a pack over all manner of terrain, never mind about large variations in elevation, is begging for trouble. Knee problems only become worse once an injury occurs and is not given an amount of lay-up time. AFL footballers can get away with it, but we mere mortals with our wonky-donky knees cannot...
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby Eremophila » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 11:05 am

Definitely give it some rest - how long since you injured it?

And find a physio/sports med practitioner who you feel comfortable with and trust. They may suggest an MRI.

I tore my meniscus years ago and found with the initial enforced rest, my ITB became very tight. Massage (painful) assisted with this. It's important to address as it can affect your gait and the subsequent healing process.

Edit: keeping off excess weight is also REALLY important with knees.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby tom_brennan » Thu 30 Mar, 2023 9:39 pm

scroggin5 wrote:If anyone has some tips for knee injuries, I'd also much appreciate it!


As others have said, find a good physio and get it assessed.

Some injuries will be fine to walk on, others not so much. It very much depends on the injury. Tell your physio what you want to do, and then take their advice on whether to walk, and what sort of walks.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby Eremophila » Fri 31 Mar, 2023 8:52 am

And when they give you exercises/rehab activities..... do them!

That's a major downfall for a vast number of people, present company excepted.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby Last » Fri 31 Mar, 2023 9:21 am

Lake Marion?
noen ganger er det godt å være alene i villmarken
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby johnw » Fri 31 Mar, 2023 10:37 am

Eremophila wrote:And when they give you exercises/rehab activities..... do them!

That's a major downfall for a vast number of people, present company excepted.

Yes, I meant to say that as well. Aim to get into a routine at a time/place that you're likely to keep up with the rehab exercises regularly.
Not doing that likely means going backwards. I listen to music that I like while I do mine, and some I can do lying down, which adds some incentive.
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Re: Knee problem - Tassie overnight walk

Postby Warin » Fri 31 Mar, 2023 10:48 am

I broke my ankle.
Was given physio exercises to do ...
Bushfire went past my place- did a lot of things that I was not supposed to do...
Physio guy was surprised at the next visit by how well I was doing..

Message: Don't just do what is requested/required.. do more.
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